Braided medical devices

Abstract

A braided vaso-occlusive member formed out of first plurality of filaments interwoven with a second plurality of filaments, wherein filaments of the first plurality are helically wound in a first rotational direction along an elongate axis of the braided member, and filaments of the second plurality are wound in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction, such that filaments of the first plurality cross over and/or under filaments of the second plurality at each of a plurality cross-over locations axially spaced along the elongate axis of the braided member, wherein at each cross-over location, the filaments of the first plurality cross over at least two consecutive filaments of the second plurality, then cross under only a single filament of the second plurality, and then cross over at least two additional consecutive filaments of the second plurality.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An implantable vaso-occlusive device for occluding an aneurysm, comprising:
 a braided member formed out of a first plurality of filaments interwoven with a second plurality of filaments, the braided member having a compressed configuration when constrained in a lumen of a delivery catheter, and an expanded configuration when not constrained;   wherein filaments of the first plurality are helically wound in a first rotational direction along an elongate axis of the braided member, and filaments of the second plurality are wound in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction along the elongate axis of the braided member, such that filaments of the first plurality cross over and/or under filaments of the second plurality at each of a plurality cross-over locations axially spaced along the elongate axis of the braided member,   wherein at each cross-over location, the filaments of the first plurality cross over at least two consecutive filaments of the second plurality, then cross under only a single filament of the second plurality, and then cross over at least two additional consecutive filaments of the second plurality.   
     
     
         2 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 1 , wherein at each cross-over location, the filaments of the first plurality are oriented substantially orthogonal to the filaments of the second plurality when the device is in an expanded, non-constrained configuration. 
     
     
         3 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 1 , wherein the first rotational direction is clockwise, and the second rotational direction is counter-clockwise. 
     
     
         4 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 1 , wherein at each cross-over location, the filaments of the first plurality cross over exactly two consecutive filaments of the second plurality, then cross under only a single filament of the second plurality, and then cross over exactly two more consecutive filaments of the second plurality. 
     
     
         5 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 1 , wherein at each cross-over location, the filaments of the first plurality cross over at least three consecutive filaments of the second plurality, then cross under only a single filament of the second plurality, and then cross over at least three more consecutive filaments of the second plurality. 
     
     
         6 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 1 , wherein the braided device comprises a first body portion and a second body portion, and wherein at each cross-over location in the first body portion, the filaments of the first plurality cross over two or three consecutive filaments of the second plurality, then cross under only a single filament of the second plurality, and then cross over at least two or three more consecutive filaments of the second plurality. 
     
     
         7 . An implantable vaso-occlusive device for occluding an aneurysm, comprising:
 a braided member formed out of braid filaments, the braided member having an compressed configuration when constrained in a lumen of a delivery catheter, and a tubular expanded configuration when not constrained, wherein when the braid member is in the expanded configuration, the braid filaments are disposed circumferentially about an elongate axis of the braided member,   the braid filaments comprising a plurality of filaments made out of a first material, and one or more marker filaments made of a second material having a higher stiffness and a higher radiopacity, respectively, than the first material filaments.   
     
     
         8 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 7 , wherein the first material filaments are made out of nickel-titanium alloy, and the marker filaments are made out of platinum alloy. 
     
     
         9 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 7 , the marker filaments including first and second marker filaments that are circumferentially offset approximately 180° from each other along at least a portion of the braided device when the braided device is in the tubular expanded configuration. 
     
     
         10 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 9 , wherein the first marker filament is made out of a different material and/or has a different diameter or cross-section, respectively, than the second marker filament. 
     
     
         11 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 7 , the marker filaments including four marker filaments that are circumferentially offset approximately 90° from each other along at least a portion of the braided device when the braided device is in the tubular expanded configuration. 
     
     
         12 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the four marker filaments is made out of a different material and/or has a different diameter or cross-section, respectively, than at least one other of the four marker filaments. 
     
     
         13 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 7 , the marker filaments including six marker filaments that are circumferentially offset approximately 60° from each other along at least a portion of the braided device when the braided device is in the tubular expanded configuration, wherein at least one of the six marker filaments is made out of a different material and/or has a different diameter or cross-section, respectively, than at least one other of the six marker filaments. 
     
     
         14 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 7 , the marker filaments including a first set of adjacent maker elements and a second set of adjacent marker elements, wherein the first set of adjacent marker elements are circumferentially offset approximately 180° from the second set of adjacent marker elements along at least a portion of the braided device when the braided device is in the tubular expanded configuration. 
     
     
         15 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 14 , the first set of adjacent marker filaments comprising first and second marker filaments disposed adjacent one another, wherein the first marker filament is made out of a different material and/or has a different diameter or cross-section, respectively, than the second marker filament. 
     
     
         16 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 15 , wherein the first marker filament is made out of platinum alloy and the second marker filament is made out of nitinol and platinum drawn-filled tubes. 
     
     
         17 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 14 , the first set of adjacent marker filaments comprising first, second and third marker filaments disposed adjacent each other, wherein first marker filament is made out of a different material and/or has a different diameter or cross-section, respectively, than one or both of the second and third marker filaments. 
     
     
         18 . An implantable vaso-occlusive device for occluding an aneurysm, comprising:
 a braided member formed out of a plurality of interwoven braid filaments, the braided member having an compressed configuration when constrained in a lumen of a delivery catheter, and an expanded configuration when not constrained, in which the braid filaments are disposed circumferentially about an elongate axis of the braided member,   wherein in the expanded configuration, the braided member defines a plurality of enlarged cross-section segments spaced apart along the elongate axis thereof, wherein adjacent enlarged cross-section segments of the plurality are connected by a respective reduced diameter segment, and   wherein the braid filaments are interwoven according to a first weave pattern to create the respective enlarged cross-section segments, and wherein the braid filaments are interwoven according to a second weave pattern different than the first weave pattern to create each reduced diameter segment.   
     
     
         19 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 18 , wherein in the second weave pattern, subsets of the plurality of interwoven braid filaments are wound into respective linking braids and/or wire bundles that span between adjacent enlarged cross-section segments. 
     
     
         20 . The vaso-occlusive device of  claim 18 , wherein in the expanded configuration of the vaso-occlusive device, the reduced cross-section segment is outwardly expanded into a fattened, ribbon-like configuration about the elongate axis, and the enlarged cross-section segments are circumferentially expanded about the elongate axis.